Tourism industry in Australia and NewZealand impacted by the pandemic - Image supplied by AdobeStock
The world will never be the same… It is a statement that we have all heard repeated over and over. Whether it is on the news, the radio or in the grocery checkout line, we have all been well and truly informed of this.
However, it is such a grand statement that it is in some ways very difficult to comprehend. Too broad to put in context, too vague to perfectly pin down. For the purpose of this article, and to better understand how specific sectors will be affected in different ways, let’s take a look at the tourism industry.
Naturally, in these uncertain times, there will be less visitors to both Australia and to New Zealand. Depending on when, why, and from where people are travelling, they may or may not be allowed to enter either country. And even when flight services resume to some level of normalcy, there will be large numbers of people who remain hesitant to fly. There will not only be the natural level of hesitation to deal with, but the fear of the unknown, that at any moment flights could be cancelled, borders being re-closed, and people left trapped in unknown lands without any obvious means of returning home. So when it comes to tourism, the main questions are how will the industry react, and what will locals and would-be tourists do instead.
But just because the world will never be the same, it doesn’t mean that there is nothing we can do now, or even that one day, while it may not be the same, it could be better. Necessity is the mother of invention and innovation often comes about because of a period of struggle. This is a moment to re-imagine travel, both in terms of what it is and how it is done. Australia and New Zealand have accepted this challenge head on and are on their way towards working out potential alternatives…
Domestic travel will be encouraged in both countries. Jacinda Adern, New Zealand’s prime minister, has already highlighted this period as the perfect moment to travel internally and rediscover the beauty of your home country. All too often, we dismiss the places we live and choose to travel abroad instead. It is a great opportunity for regional tourism organisations, in Australia and New Zealand, to alter their pricing in an attempt to win back the hearts of local travellers.
Thanks to the internet, just because you can’t go directly to the source, it doesn’t mean you can’t still get a taster from the comfort of your own home. You can visit art galleries and exhibitions online, or even go on virtual tours of famous cities. As well as culture, there are lots of entertainment options too. Many would-be tourists will be logging on to this site in order to experience the best online casinos New Zealand has to offer
The travel bubble is a little more complicated, but both Australia and New Zealand will be very keen to, pun intended, get it off the ground. In essence, the travel bubble would allow travellers to move freely between Australia and New Zealand. It would offer some much needed relief to the tourism industry in both locations. Pacific island nations, including Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Tonga, are also keen to be included within the bubble, with that part of the world heavily relying on tourism.